Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels went to Tennessee and held on for a 31-26 victory over the Vols.
However, the end of the game was marred by an ugly scene, where fans were throwing trash onto the field, including a golf ball that appeared to hit Kiffin.
After the game, Kiffin said he was relieved to find a way to win the game:
“Relief. I don’t know if I’m more excited that we found a way to win or that I didn’t get hit with the golf balls they were throwing at me,” Kiffin said. “Our defense rose to the occasion. We did horrible on offense there about not finishing it off. Great job. The quarterback did a good job battling with a ton of injuries around him. Basically 4 starters didn’t play around him. A great crowd, credit to them. This is a great place and great fans.”
As for what happened during the trash-throwing delay, Kiffin said he was ready to get back on the field:
“They were just throwing stuff and I just said ‘put your helmets on and let’s play.’ It was their people who came over and moved us off (our sideline). … It is what it is. They’re passionate fans and there’s 100,000 people who came to see the show and it didn’t end the way they wanted it.”
Kiffin credited his defense for coming up clutch down the stretch:
“I’m actually glad if we were going to win the game, we won it on defense like that instead of another great offensive performance. Defense rose to the occasion really twice, it was awesome.”
What a game in Knoxville. We’ll see what fallout occurs after that shameful display from Tennessee fans, though.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
